Hey all! Hope everyone is still enjoying the story. I know it's been a while since I last updated.

"Talking"

Thinking

Disclaimer: Only my characters belong to me.

Lyn sat against the wall of the med bay, having washed and changed her clothes (she'd decided that throwing them out was the best option), and watched Wheeljack as he worked, trying not to laugh whenever the injured CMO barked an order at the engineer, smiling at his outbursts and profanities. There really was no worse patient than a doctor. After the medic had sutured her leg and covered it with a dressing and bandage, it had taken Wheeljack most of his time just to get Ratchet to sit on the berth he occupied at the moment, never mind keeping him there when there were other mechs to repair. No matter how superficial their injuries were, nor that only two of them remained.

"Look, I'm fine. My self-repair systems will sort out the rest. I have patients to see to."

"They're fine, Ratchet. First Aid and Hoist can handle them. Now hold still. I have to sort out this tear." He activated the welder, slowly and carefully going over the largest of Ratchet's wounds; the tear across his chest. The CMO sighed in exasperation, about ready to snatch the instrument off the mech. His slight jostle caused the welder to slip slightly, catching the edge of the wound.

"Gah! Wheeljack! Weld straight for Primus' sake!"

"Well, if you held still, I wouldn't slip, would I?" His head fins flashed a light blue in amusement at his friend's grumble. Lyn chuckled, shifting her position slightly and shaking her head at the medic's predicament. He snarled something in his native language at the engineer, earning a digit wagging in his face and something said in the same tongue, and rather sternly. The paramedic saw the glower in the CMO's optics, the silent scowl that he sent to the scientist, and decided it was time to try and calm him down. Pushing herself up and on to her feet, she hissed at the telltale pull of the fresh stitches under her dressing. She hobbled, catching Ratchet's attention.

"Lyn, what are you doing? You should be resting." She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry Ratchet, but this time you don't get to give the orders. Not until Wheeljack has sorted you out." A look of disbelief crossed his faceplates.

"Excuse me? This is MY med bay, and you're telling me I don't get to give the orders?" He shifted, earning himself a nudge from the scientist. Lyn planted her hands on her hips, ignoring the strain from her leg.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. While you're on that berth, you're a patient. Patients don't give the orders. You know that." He grumbled something under his intakes, just low enough for her not to hear. She sighed. "Ratch, please. Just for once, relinquish authority, huh? Let Wheeljack and the others handle it."

"Lyn..."

"For me?" She purposefully widened her eyes, giving him the best puppy-dog look she could muster. It very rarely worked, on anyone, but it never hurt to try.

"Lyn Xanders, you know for a fact that that expression never works on me. I'm used to it off that one." He tossed a thumb over his shoulder at the oblivious, waiting Bumblebee.

"Can't blame a gal for trying. C'mon Ratch, it's only this once. Then you can go back to growling and yelling at everyone. Ok?" He let out an explosive sigh, finally nodding once. Lyn grinned at her small victory, going back to her resting spot and watching the happenings. She could still hear the CMO grumbling at the inventor, this time in their own language, and was pretty sure that the medic was still trying to tell Wheeljack how to take care of the wounds. Sighing, she straightened her leg out in front of her. The cut was going to leave a wonderful scar. Well, it'll be something to tell the guys back at MCH. She sighed a little as the minutes ticked by, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep where she was, but refusing to. Her mind was still busily running over the happenings of the day. She shuddered. How close had they come to death that day? And all because she had to act on impulse instead of thinking first? She sighed again, letting her head fall back against the wall. She'd nearly lost her team. She'd nearly lost her life. She'd nearly lost so much. Her eyes stung as a thin film of tears began to build. Shaking her head, she angrily pushed the thoughts away. Not now Lyn! There'll be plenty of time for that later! Pushing herself awkwardly to her feet, she took a deep breath and mustered every ounce of self control she had, trying to block the feelings out. Clearing her throat, she turned to the berth. Wheeljack had finally finished with the cranky CMO and was clearing up. Ratchet was obviously fighting with himself to stay put, knowing that too much movement would reopen the fresh welds. She smiled softly before finally breaking the almost-silence that had descended upon the medical bay.

"Jack, Ratch, I'm just going to take a walk. I've been sitting too long and I need to do something." Wheeljack turned and nodded, going back to his job. Ratchet, on the other hand, propped himself up on his elbows, inspecting her with a critical optic.

"Is there something wrong, Lyn?" She shook her head, knowing full well that there was really no way she could hide anything from the medic.

"No, just restless. That's all. I'm going to find Jack and Shannon and make sure they haven't collapsed somewhere. And don't worry, Ratchet, I won't go overworking my leg. I know the stitches need time to heal, and I know that they can't stand up to too much strain at the moment. I am a medic." His mouth snapped shut, the words taken before they could even form. She grinned and winked before turning to the exit. The CMO watched her leave, collapsing back on the berth and glaring heatedly at the smirking engineer.

"Beat you to the punch, huh?" His head fins flashed an amused blue.

"Wheeljack?"

"Yes, Ratch?"

"Shut up."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The corridors were quite peaceful now, well, as peaceful as they could be with giant robots milling around. Making sure to stay over to the side, Lyn made her way to the human quarters. Perhaps, if they had settled down now, she could introduce her teammates to the rest of the crew. There were quite a few here that she was sure they would get on with quite easily. Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice the approach of a certain human until he was all but in front of her. She snapped from her reverie when he called her name.

"Lynx? I was just coming to get you."

"Hey Will. Why? What's up?" It was only then that she noticed the grin. "What?"

"You aren't looking for your team by any chance, are you?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I am. Where did you leave them?" She smirked at the mischievous glint forming in the soldier's eyes. "Will?"

"They're in the quarters, just like you requested. I'd just give them some time alone at the moment."

"Why?" He grinned again, casually throwing his arm over her shoulders.

"Let's just say they're getting cosy and leave it at that, huh?" Lyn suddenly flushed.

"You don't mean they're...you know." He laughed.

"Nah, at least they weren't when I found them."

"Found them?" Will shrugged.

"Yeah, I had to report to Optimus and meet some new guy who wants to act as liaison between the big guys and the government. Bit of a stiff if you ask me. You won't like him."

"Oh goodie." She rolled her eyes and sighed. Another Dylan from the sounds of it. She caught the glance he'd sent her.

"What?" He simply shook his head.

"I still can't believe you went up against Screamer. Of all the Decepticons, you had to pick Starscream."

"Hey, it's not like I had a choice in the matter. If I hadn't done something, he would have levelled the hospital. I couldn't have that. Besides, it's not like I was alone."

"From what I've been told, you pretty much were. Running off without any sort of a plan or backup? That was a pretty risky stunt, Lyn Xanders." She bowed her head, sighing.

"Yeah, I know. I'm beginning to regret it now." He stopped, halting her as he did so.

"Lyn, look at me." She did so, blinking away the tears that were beginning to form once again. "There's no need to regret it now. It worked out."

"I nearly got my team killed, Will. I acted without thinking, and I nearly paid the ultimate price for it." She sniffed, wiping at her eyes before letting out a humourless laugh. "See what happens when I act on impulse?" He smiled, pulling her into a hug. She returned it readily, still fighting off the tears.

"Lyn, you know what I think? I think you're a hero." She snorted. "No, hear me out. You made a pretty stupid decision, let's face it. But you saw it through. And you did it for all the right reasons." She couldn't meet his eyes.

"Will, I'm not a hero. I'm a paramedic. Saving life and helping is something that I do every day. I'm not a hero because of that. And I'm not a hero for making a rash decision that nearly got me killed." She wiped at her eyes again, sighing heavily. Clearing her throat, Lyn straightened up and flashed him a smile. "Anyway, let's leave it for now. I just want to find my teammates and, if they're up for it, take them around to meet the others." Will smiled and nodded, letting go of the younger woman. They walked the rest of the way in relative silence, simply content to enjoy the others company.

This took so long to write! Grr. Anyway, there it is. Con. Crit is welcome as always!